Abstract

The people and lands of Ethiopia partake in the global movement towards urbanization. However, the land-people interfaces in these areas are considered far from sustainable. This paper explores this assumption through the analytical lenses of land governance and land administration from 2002-2011 in three cities of Ethiopia. A SWOT analysis technique with an additional priority component is employed. The SWOT analysis indicates that land administration and land governance in the case study cities from 2002-2011 were affected by the absence of independent responsible institution at the federal and region levels, difficulty in coordination between the existing institutions, a lack of societal participation and transparency, and weak enforcement of laws and spatial plans. Priority areas that should improve these shortcomings are identified and future strategic planning to tackle the deficits identified should consider these priorities. Overall, this study provides lessons for the implementation of the 2011 urban land policy and its laws in the processes of improving the challenges of urbanization in Ethiopia.

Keywords: Cadastre; land administration; urban land governance; urban land policy

International Federation of Surveyors, FIG, is a United Nations and World Bank recognized
non-governmental organization of national member associations
and covers the whole range of professional fields within the
global surveying community. It provides an international forum
for discussion and development aiming to promote professional
practice and standards.